Holding device for electric cables



April 5, 1949. E. D. STOYER 2,456,504

HOLDING DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC CABLES 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed April 5, 1947]a NVEAUWE Z 00077111 A M A: a 4 $7 I I If /YZWMMQZM Aprifi 5,, 194 7 E.D. STOYER 2,465,504

HOLDING DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC CABLES Filed April 5, 1947 1 2 Sheets-Sheet2 @M J? m 719w WW Mifiwq A TTOR/VE'YJ Patented Apr. 5, 1949 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 2,466,504 HOLDING DEVICE, FOR ELECTRIC CABLESElwood D. Stoyer, Coshocton, Ohio Application April 5, 1947, Serial No.739,617

11 Claims. 1

- This invention relates to a holding device for an electric cable. Moreparticularly to a hollow clamp adapted to be mounted on a conventionalconnection box and engage the insulated exterior of a cable entering thebox to enable its conductor or conductors to be readily conected toother conductors in the box.

Hollow boxes having openings through their walls and adapted to beattached to a wall or ceiling are in a very common use in providinghousings for cable connections. Various devices have been provided formounting on the box wall to engage the exterior of an entering cable tohold it in place, but so far as I am aware such devices have beendiificult of operation and have frequently required simultaneous use ofboth hands of the operator, whereas he frequently has only one handavailable for that purpose.

It is an object of my invention to provide in very simple form a hollowclamp adapted to be mounted, by a simple finger operation, in one of theopenings in a wall of the connection box, and operative to hold theentering cable in place as it passes through the clamp, withouttroublesome manipulation by the operator. Cheapness of construction isalso a feature of my invention.

Briefly, my invention comprises a hollow clamp having portions adaptedto be passed through an opening in the box wall and having retaininglips to engage the inner face of such wall, one of such portions beingcarried by a spring arm so that its inward temporary displacementenables its lip to be inserted through the opening, the clamp carryingalso means to engage the cable passed through the clamp to the interiorof the box. When the cable is in place the clamp is automatically heldon the box and the cable is held within the clamp,

The above features and other characteristics of my invention will befully apparent from the disclosure hereinafter given of two embodimentsof the invention illustrated in the drawings.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a connection boxattached to a ceiling carrying one of my clamps holding an enteringcable and showing also another of such clamps in the act of beinginserted; Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical sections tranversely of Fig. 1 inplanes indicated by the lines 22 and 3-3 on Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is afragmentary view showing the same clamp in plac holding a considerablylarger cable than shown in Fig, 1; Fig. 5 is a perspective of the sameclamp detached; Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a ceiling box showing myclamp in a somewhat modified form holding cable entering the box; Fig. 7is a bottom view of the box and clamp of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a plan of ablank from which the clamp may be made.

In the drawings, A indicates a conventional connection box havingopenings a through various walls. This box is shown as attached to theunderside of a ceiling indicated at B. C, C or C designates an electriccable passing into the interior of the box to be connected therein toanother cable or cables.

My hollow clamp is adapted to enter any of the openings a in the box andautomatically clamp itself thereto in position to receive the enteringcable. I will first describe the clamp shown in Figs. 1 to 5 andthereafter the slightly modified form of Figs. 6 and 7.

The clamp l0 shown in perspective in Fig. 5 is a hollow box-like devicepreferably made of a single piece sheet metal by dieing and bendingoperations. It may be mounted on the connection box in any position, butas the flat portion ll happens to be shown at the bottom in Fig. 5, andalso in other figures, it is convenient to designate that portion as thebottom and the opposite portion the top and the other two faces as thesides. The open face I call the front and the opposite face the back.

Using such conventional designation, the bottom member H carries adownwardly extending lip l2 at its front edge and an inclined lip l3extending forwardly from its rear edge into the clamp above such bottomportion. This bottom portion is also shown as carrying a pair ofupstanding parallel side Wings [4. At the rear edge of the bottomportion are a pair of upright arms l5 forming the back of the device andat their upper ends carrying the forwardly projecting top portion Hi.This top portion is bent first upwardly and then downwardly at I! toprovide a closely doubled rib and then by a U-bend I8 finally carriesthe upturned lip l9.

Such a clamp is mounted in the opening a of the box by first passing thelip l2 through the opening and then pressing the portion IS inwardly sothat the lip l9 may enter the opening. after which, upon release of thepressure, the resilience of the portion I6 causes the lip 19 to passbehind the wall of the box.

Fig. 1 indicates at the left hand side the action in putting the clampin place and at the right hand side the clamp after it has been mounted.It is accordingly a very simple and rapid action to install the clamp onthe box. The side wings M of the clamp provide convenient smoothsurfaces for grasping-it, if desired, and as heretosurface engagementwith the cable.

fore stated it maybe mounted with its so-called top or bottom or eitherside uppermost.

It will be noticed that the double band I! on the spring arm of theclamp furnishes a lateral abutment engaging the outer face of the boxwall and thus serves to locate the clamp in that region. In the oppositeregion, it is located by engagement of the front edge of the clamp withthe outer wall of the box,

After .theclamphas been mounted the cable may be inserted'through theopening between the upright portions I5 of the back and pass out of theopen front of the clamp into the connection box, as shown in the case of-the.- cable- Gin:- Fig. 1. In this passageway the cable extends acrossthe inwardly projecting tongue I3 and:across=the U-bend I8 on the othersideotthe cable. As shown in Figs. 1 to 5 the spring tongue I3 is formedto bite into insulation of the cable and -by pressing it against theabutment provided by the U-bend I-8uforms an automatic lock for thecable;. so that=the-mere insertion of the cable causes "it totberetained. in proper position for subseguent connection of its conductorswithin thebox.

"Accordingly, :the. operator need do no more than shovethecablethrough-the mounted clamp. The" clamp then. holds the cable and thecableinsures the clamp remaining in position in-the box. The parts canonlytb'e released by inserting a suitable-tool, likea: screw-driver,through the open-side of. the clamp between theton'gue-I 3 and thecablesThe clamp,- while small enough tohflVedts-Tetaining lips- I tendI-Spassed into the conventional opening in the connect-ionbox; hasa-large enough interior to receive cables .of'th'e maximum size employedwith such box, aswell-as the smaller cable-illustrated-in Fig; l.Suchlarger cable is shown at in Fig. 4: and like'the cable Cof Fig. 1 itisretained by the edge'ofwthe'spring tongue I3 engaging the cable-ononeside: andthe U-bend IBengagingit on the other.

For some purposesit is desirable to'avoid the automatic clamping of'thecable upon itsin- 'ser-tion but tomake the'holding morereadily under thecontrol otthe operator. When that is desired I modify the clamp;as-shownin- Figs. 6 and 7, so that instead ofthe-internal'tongueimbedding itself in'the'cable I provide'a tongue I 20 curved downwardlyat its freeend to have a This is shown with the cable C in'Fig. 6.- Inthis case, I force the tongue-against the cable by a; screw -12Ithreadedin-thebody H of theclamp.-

As the.clampholdsitself-in am position selected, thescrew Z n-may facein the most convenient directionfor the operator to" clamp-or releasethe'cable as desired.

My clamp ofthe-form shown-in Figs. 1 to ":may be made completezfromasing-le'bla-nk cf'sheet metal, and the clamp of. Figs. '6 and '7 may bemade from such sheet metal blank with therexception of the screwthreaded through the body of' theblank. .Such a blank is shown in Fig..8..-

where the.-different parts bear the same reference numerals :as Fig. 5.When theblank is died out in the form shown:in:Fig; 8, theiU shaped slit25 may be made at the.;same time and'thus form the :tongue I3. .Alsoif-the blankistolformh the-clampzof Figs. Band 7 the opening 26-for thescrew may. be: madeat the same time.

Another operationbends the wing portions I4 along: the broken linesdesignated X, bends the I portion. I5 upwardlyat rightanglcsalongthedine.

designated Y and bends the tongue I3 still further along such line sothat it lies diagonally over the portion II. Then the portion I6 is bentover on the line Z into approximate parallelism with the bottom I I. Atsome stage the so-called top portion I6 is bent on itself along linesindicated at W to produce the rib I7, and likewise at some stage thelips I2 and I9 are bent in the proper direction. The order in whichthese various bending steps are performed is of no special importance,and may be selected as most convenient.

It will be understood from the above description that my clamp may bevery cheaply constructed. For this purpose I consider stainless steel ofabout 20 gauge quite satisfactory. The clamps are of light weight,easily carried to the place of use, and have ample strength. They may beinstantaneously mounted in place and enable the operator with one handto place the cable in position for the subsequent operation of makingthe connections.

I claim:

l. A holding devicefor a cable comprising a clamp-open at the frontandrear-forthe passage of-a cable, an inwardly projecting integralspring portion of theclamp to engage the cable, and a pair of oppositelyextending-lips carried by the clamp, one Of which is held by a springleaf, whereby the lips may be passed through an opening inasupportingwa-ll and thereafter engage the inner face-of thewall.

2. 'A- device for holding a cable comprising a clamp having a 'bottomportion, a top portiontand a rear portion the latter with an openingthrough it,-one of said: portions having a part. projecting inwardly toengage a cable passing through said opening, upward and downwardprojecting lips carried by the top and bottom portions, one of 40 saidportions being a spring leaf, whereby the lips may be forced toward eachother to pass through an opening ina support, one of said portionshavinga projecting rib adapted toengage the outer face of the support.

3. A device for holding an electric cable comprising an open clamphaving a portion with a lip at the front and an inwardly projectinginclined tongue at the rear, said clamp having a spring portion adaptedto overlie the tongue spaced from it toreceive a cable between them andcarrying a lip extendin in theopposite direction from the 'lipprojecting from the firstmentioned portion. 4

4. A holding device for an electric cable comprising an open box-likeclamp having a bottom portion with a downturned lip at its front edge anand upwardly and inwardly extending tongue at its rear edge, a topportion in the'form of a spring leaf having an upwardly extending lip atits front edge, and anopen rear portion connecting the'bottom portion ontop portion.

5. A holding device for a cable and adapted to be secured to aconnection box, said holding device comprising an open clamp having apair'of oppositely projecting lips, one of which is carried by a springleaf, whereby the lips may be passed through an opening in the wall of aconnection box'and thereafter spread-behind said wall,.said clamphaving, an inwardly projecting abutment to. engage one side of thecablepassing through it and an oppositely projecting spring'tongue to itto a connection box, said clamp having an abutment to engage one side ofthe cable and an inwardly projecting spring tongue to engage the otherside, said tongue having an abrupt edge facing the cable and adapted tobite into the insulation thereof.

'7. A device for holding in position an electric cable comprising asingle piece of sheet material bent to present a bottom portion with adownwardly extending lip adapted to lie on the interior of a connectionbox, an open rear portion through which the cable may pass, and a springtop portion carrying an upwardly extending lip adapted to be pressedtoward the bottom portion to pass through an opening in the box andthereafter lie on the inner side of the box wall, and a spring tonguecarried at the rear edge of the bottom portion and extending into theclamp and adapted to engage the cable.

8. A hollow cable clamp of approximately cubical form having a bottomand two opposite sides and a rear side all connected to the bottom, anda top connected to the rear side and narrow enough to be depressiblebetween said two opposite sides, a downwardly extending lip at the frontedge of the bottom and an upwardly extending lip at the front edge ofthe top, the rear side having an opening and the front being open forthe passage of a cable, and means carried by the clamp to engage andclamp the cable.

9. A device for holding an electric cable to a connector box comprisinga bottom portion, two opposite side portions connected to the bottomportion and free at their front, rear and top, a rear portion extendingupwardly from the bottom portion, a top portion projecting forwardlyfrom the rear portion and narrower than the space between the sideportions so that it may be depressed between them, a spring tongueformed out of the rear portion and bent forwardly from the lower edge ofthe rear portion leaving an opening in the rear portion adapted for thepassage of a cable between the spring tongue and the spring top portion,a downwardly projecting lip at the forward end of the bottom portion,and

an upwardly projecting lip at the forward end of the top portion.

10. A hollow cable clamp formed of a single piece of resilient sheetmaterial bent into approximately cubical form to present a bottom andtwo opposite sides and a rear side all connected to the bottom, and atop connected to the rear side and narrow enough to be depressiblebetween said two opposite sides, a downwardly extending lip at the frontedge of the bottom and an upwardly extending lip at the front edge ofthe'top, and a spring tongue within the clamp adapted to engage thecable, said tongue being formed by partial severance and forward bendingfrom the rear side, such cut out portion of the rear side providing anopening therethrough for the passage of the cable, the front being alsoopen.

11. A hollow cable clamp formed of a single piece of resilient sheetmaterial bent into approximately cubical form to present a bottom andtwo opposite sides and a rear side all connected to the bottom, and atop connected to the rear side and narrow enough to be depressiblebetween said two opposite sides, a downwardly extending lip at the frontedge of the bottom and an upwardly extending lip at the front edge ofthe top, and a spring tongue within the clamp adapted to engage thecable, said tongue being formed by partial severance and forward bendingfrom the rear side, such out out portion of the rear side providing anopening therethrough for the passage of the cable, the front being alsoopen.

ELWOOD D. STOYER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,644,302 Ledbetter Oct. 4, 19271,644,311 Davis et a1 Oct. 4, 1927 1,793,880 Thomas Feb. 24, 19311,793,882 Yanchenko Feb. 24, 1931

